Lawfully Matched, Justified, and Redeemed

by Lorana Hoopes

  “Just that if you’re not required to stay home, maybe we could do something - low key, of course. I don’t want your partner’s wrath poured out on me again.”

  “He poured out his wrath on you?” Dani asked, her lips tugging into a smile.

  “Yeah, read me the riot act for letting you go hiking that morning. I told him I tried to tell you no, but that you are one stubborn woman.”

  This time a full smile appeared on her face. “I am that, aren’t I?”

  “Yes, you are. So, what do you say?”

  “I say yes,” she said, and this time when her eyes twinkled, he believed it was for him.

  “Good.” Calvin smiled. He glanced around the room, looking for paper or something to write his number on for Dani.

  “What do you need?” she asked.

  “A pen and paper. You know where I live, but I thought it might be better if we discussed plans over the phone rather than you having to show up at my house to contact me.”

  Dani chuckled softly. “Why don’t I just give you my number and you can text me. That way I’ll have your number too. Or if you'll get my phone from my bag over there, I can put it in now.”

  “Right, of course,” Calvin said, feeling like a fool as he pulled out his phone. “Give me a second to get to the right screen.” His finger fumbled with the screen as he tapped the one to get to text messages. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  “360-999-7632,” she said.

  “Okay, got it,” Calvin said. “I’ll let you get your rest, but let me know when you get out, and we’ll plan something.”

  “Sounds great.”

  * * *

  Dani watched Calvin leave and wondered what she was doing. Yes, Calvin's handsome looks sent her heart racing, and he was certainly in shape if he carried her back to the cabin. He’d be able to keep up with her without a doubt, and she had enjoyed his company, but she was still actively looking for his brother. Well, she wasn’t actively looking, but her fellow officers were. Could a relationship survive that?

  “Hey, DP, you look like you’re trying to solve the world’s problems. What’s up?”

  Dani shook her head and smiled at Aaron, who had snuck into the room - a feat for him at six feet and two hundred pounds. “I was just thinking. Calvin came to see me…”

  “Oh, yeah?” he asked, cutting her off. He set the cloth bag he carried on a table and began pulling out containers. “And?”

  “And he sort of asked me out,” she continued.

  Aaron’s right eyebrow shot up his forehead. “How do you sort of ask someone out?” He opened the container in his hand, took a deep breath, and smiled. “Cinnamon apples, my favorite.”

  “Well, I told him about my confinement to my house upon release and he offered to get together to combat the boredom.”

  Aaron’s forehead furrowed with tiny lines. “Uh, I might have been out of the dating scene for a while, but I’d say his technique needs some work.”

  Dani laughed and then grabbed her chest when the pain erupted. “Don’t make me laugh. Yeah, it might, but I think maybe he was nervous. The thing is though, do you think it could work? I mean his brother is still a person of interest.”

  “Are you planning to date his brother?” Aaron asked as he opened another container.

  “No,” Dani said. “What sort of question is that?”

  “Well, you aren’t planning to date his brother and you can’t work on the case for another month, so I don’t see the big deal. We’ll probably find him while you’re on leave, and you’ll never even have to be involved. Maybe the brother won’t even be the shooter, and we won’t have to arrest him.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Dani said, but uncertainty remained. Perhaps her own dysfunctional family experiences clouded her view. She wasn’t sure Eric would forgive her if she ever had to arrest Derek or vice versa, but Aaron could be right. Maybe since she would no longer be the arresting officer anyway, it would matter less.

  “That smells delicious,” she said, deciding to push the conundrum away for now. “What did Margaret send?”

  “Orange chicken, stir-fried vegetables, and cinnamon apples for dessert.”

  “You really are a lucky man,” Dani said as she took the proffered container and fork.

  “I know,” Aaron said with a smile before loading up his fork with food.

  Chapter 16

  Calvin paced the house, checking for the third time to make sure everything appeared clean and put away. He was generally a neat person anyway, but some days, when work took over, housecleaning took a back seat and piles began to build. Since he’d spent the first day catching up on work, the piles had built up enough he’d had to take the morning off to clean up today.

  The doorbell rang, and he took a deep breath as he crossed to the door. He had offered to pick Dani up, but she had insisted on meeting here. He didn't know if she was just being cautious or if perhaps she was hiding something, but as he opened the door, he wasn’t sure he cared anyway. She was here. On his doorstep and willing to hang out with him. Of course, his lame proposal of “planning something” made it so he wondered if this were a date or just friends getting together, but still she was here. She looked adorable in her brown leather jacket, scarf, and yellow hat - like a ray of sunshine in the middle of winter.

  “Hi,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind that I brought Sydney. She’s starting to get stir crazy just like me.”

  “No, it’s fine,” he said, mentally scrapping his plans of taking her out on a paddleboat. He had picked a paddleboat, so he could take her out on the water, but make sure she didn’t exhaust herself. However, dogs weren’t allowed on paddle boats. Evidently, there had been a rash of them jumping into the middle of the water and having to be rescued. And even though Sydney was a K-9 and probably better trained, he wasn’t sure the marina would make an allowance. “There’s a great park about a mile from here. Do you want to take her there to let her run around and then we can get some lunch?”

  “That sounds fun,” Dani said.

  “Alright, shall I drive?” he asked.

  “Actually, can we take my car? It’s got a hook up for Sydney’s leash.”

  “Sure.” He pulled the door shut and locked it before following her to a small SUV. She opened the back door and commanded Sydney to jump in. Once situated, she clipped the leash onto a hook on the side.

  “That must make your job easier,” he said.

  She nodded. “Yeah, it does. I mean Sydney is great about staying back here anyway, but it makes me feel like she’s a little safer when I drive. I guess it’s kind of like knowing your kid is strapped in, you know?” She pushed a button on the underside of the door and it closed.

  “I don’t have any kids,” he answered with a laugh, “but I see your point.”

  “Me either,” she smiled, “but that’s what I hear, anyway.”

  Calvin opened the passenger door and sat down, reaching for the seat belt.

  “You want any?” Dani asked.

  “Kids?” Calvin asked, turning to face her.

  Her eyes dropped to her lap and she fumbled with the keys. “Yeah,” she answered, but she didn’t look at him.

  “I would love kids one day. What about you?”

  “Yeah, I think so,” she said, shoving the keys in the ignition. “I mean I like kids, but my mom was a serial divorcer, so I’m not sure I’d even know how to be a good mom.” The engine fired up, and Dani backed the car out, still never looking Calvin’s way.

  He wasn’t quite sure what to say to her, but he felt the need to say something. “I think you would be a wonderful mother.”

  She glanced at him and smiled before turning her attention back to the road.

  * * *

  Dani smiled as Sydney scampered back and forth at the park. The exuberant dog had clearly been inside too long.

  She sneaked a glance at Calvin who stood a few feet away watching Sydney run. “Thank you for this,” she said. “I know you prob
ably had something else planned.”

  “It’s no big deal,” he said. “We can do what I planned another day. That is if you want to see me again.”

  “I would definitely enjoy seeing you again.” She smiled and then looked away. Why was she being so bold? Not that she never made the first move, but she still knew little about Calvin. However, something about him set her at ease. He was a calming presence, something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

  * * *

  After the park and a bite to eat, Dani turned the car back toward Calvin’s house, but she found she didn’t really want the night to end. She wanted to spend more time with him. She wanted to kiss him. Though she’d tried to keep her mind off the thought, his lips had filled her head multiple times today.

  “Would you like to come in?” Calvin asked as she parked the SUV. “The night is still early. We could watch a movie or something.”

  Dani’s heart leapt. It was like he was reading her mind. “You have The Princess Bride?”

  He gaped at her as if she had two heads. “Do I have The Princess Bride? Of course, I have The Princess Bride, woman. It’s a cult classic. Just because I liked the book better doesn’t mean I didn’t buy the movie.”

  Dani chuckled at his comment, careful not to laugh too hard, and opened her door. “Let’s go then, but you better have some popcorn too.”

  “Oh, I got popcorn.”

  A smile played across Dani’s face as she rescued Sydney from the back and followed Calvin into the house. She enjoyed walking slightly behind him as the view from behind was just as nice as the view from the front.

  With the door unlocked, he opened it and gestured her inside. She had been here before, but her focus had been consumed with the task of looking for Chris. Now, she took the time to really observe the place.

  The room was sparse but decorated nicely. Few pictures hung on the wall, but the ones he had chosen were classy - black and whites. His furniture all matched and was a soft tan color, and the couch faced a big screen tv.

  “Popcorn, right?” he asked, leading the way to the kitchen after shutting the front door.

  “Yes, with butter, please.” She motioned for Sydney to stay and then followed Calvin into the kitchen. It too was decorated neatly. The counters were void of clutter and held only a toaster, a coffee pot, and a Vitamix blender.

  He opened the pantry and pulled out a bag of microwave popcorn. A few minutes later, the smell of butter and salt filled the air and the soft popping of the kernels dwindled. Calvin opened the microwave door before it beeped and then turned to her.

  “Can you grab a bowl from that cabinet there?” he asked, pointing to a lower cabinet to Dani’s left.

  She squatted down and pulled a large silver bowl from the cabinet. Then, she placed it on the counter and Calvin poured the steaming popcorn into it.

  “Okay, I guess we’re ready,” he said.

  “I think I might need to taste it first,” Dani said, popping a kernel into her mouth.

  “Hey, cheater. Save it for the movie.” Calvin picked up the bowl and held it against his chest, blocking her from grabbing any more kernels.

  “No fair,” she said, tugging at his arm. “I’m injured, remember?”

  “That doesn’t seem to be stopping you,” he said with a laugh.

  When they reached the living room, he handed the bowl to her. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. Don't eat it all before I get some too.”

  Dani smiled a mischievous smile and sat in the corner of the couch, watching as he rifled through DVDs until he found the right one. He popped it into the player and then joined her on the couch.

  He was less than a foot from her, but it was enough of a distance that no part of them was touching and Dani fought the urge to scoot closer. It didn’t even have to be much - his thigh against hers or a touch of their shoulders, but he made no move to sit closer. With a small sigh, Dani settled for the occasional touch of their fingers when they both reached into the bowl at the same time.

  When the movie began, Dani tried not to repeat the lines with the characters. It was a bad habit of hers, but when Calvin began uttering the lines as well, she stopped holding back. It became a competition to see who could repeat the most lines, and Dani was surprised he knew the movie as well as if not better than she did. She tried to keep her heart in check as she was sure something about Calvin she didn’t like would emerge, but for the moment things were perfect. In fact, she couldn’t remember a time when she had enjoyed hanging out with someone more.

  Somewhere in the middle of the movie, the popcorn ran out. Their fingers touched as they both scraped the bottom of the bowl. In unison, they turned to each other and the moment arrived. Dani held her breath as Calvin’s eyes bore into hers, silently seeking permission to kiss her. Her lips parted in answer, and she saw the corner of his lip pull up in a smile. Dani closed her eyes as his hand cupped her chin. His thumb traced a slow circle on her cheeks sending goosebumps across her flesh, and then his lips touched hers. Soft and firm, his lips pressed into hers.

  “Well, that was….”

  “Amazing?” she suggested.

  “Yeah,” he breathed. He opened his mouth to say more, but the alarm on Dani’s phone interrupted him.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, silencing the alarm. “It’s my reminder to wind down so I can be alert for work the next day. I guess I don’t really need it tonight, but I should probably get going anyway.”

  “Yeah, I need to get some sleep before work tomorrow too, but can I see you again?”

  “I’d love that,” Dani said, and she tried not to think about how much she wanted to kiss him again.

  * * *

  Calvin’s lips were still tingling from the kiss when the knock at the door sounded. A smile crossed his face. Had she changed her mind? Was she back for more?

  “Dani, I…” the words froze in his mouth as he opened the door. It was Chris on the other side of the door and not Dani. Calvin glanced around to make sure Dani was gone and no one was watching.

  “Hey, Calvin can I come in?”

  Calvin hesitated, not sure if he should let Chris in or not. He didn’t seem high, more scared. “The cops are looking for you, Chris.”

  Chris’s eyes shifted to the left and right and he scrunched deeper into his coat. “I know, man, and I’ll turn myself in, but can I tell you what happened first?”

  Calvin knew he should say no. With the police looking for Chris, he should turn him away and call Dani himself, but he wanted to hear Chris’s side. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the cops, but he’d watched enough shows to know that people not strong in their story could be made to change it. At least if he heard the story first, he’d have a way to help Chris, even if in just a small way.

  “Okay, but only for a minute. Long enough to hear your story, and then I drive you in myself.”

  Chris nodded. “Sure, Cal, whatever you say.”

  Calvin stepped back and let Chris enter before shutting the door behind him. “Okay, speak.”

  “I messed up bad this time, Cal. I got involved with this guy who thought we could take on the dealer. He brought a gun, but the dealer’s crew had guns too. I don’t know how it happened, but it hit the fan, you know? Bullets went flying and one of the dealer’s crew ended up dead. We ran, but we kept the drugs, or the other guy did. Now the dealer’s crew is out for blood. They’re after me, but I don’t have the drugs and the other guy’s gone missing. I don’t know what to do, Cal.”

  “I’ll tell you what we’re gonna do. I’m going to call my friend Dani and you’re going to go in with her. Tell her everything you just told me and help them take the dealer down. You’ll probably still have to serve some jail time, but maybe they can get you a lesser sentence.” He patted his pockets looking for his phone, but it wasn’t there. He must have left it in the kitchen. “I’ll be right back,” he said to Chris.

  Calvin headed into the kitchen, scanning the counters. Where had he left his phone? Th
e bare counters stared back at him, devoid of his cell phone and giving no hints as to where it might be. If he hadn’t left it in the kitchen, had he lost it somewhere else? He could use the landline, but he didn’t have Dani’s number memorized, and he wanted to tell her first.

  “Help me find my phone,” he said as he walked back to the living room, but silence greeted him. Chris was gone. Calvin sighed. He had been so close to helping him. With heavy shoulders, he collapsed onto the couch and there stuck in the couch cushions was his phone.

  Chapter 17

  “You seem awful chipper today,” Aaron said as he unwrapped the sandwich Dani brought him. She was still off duty for another day, but she couldn’t just sit at home, so she’d brought Aaron lunch. Dexter and Sydney sat chewing on bones a few feet away.

  “I did have a nice evening last night,” Dani said, fighting the blush that threatened to grace her cheeks as she thought of the shared kiss the night before.

  “Oh yeah?” Aaron’s eyebrow arched, and his eyes begged for details.

  “Okay, I spent the day with Calvin. We went to the park and let Sydney run around. Then we ate dinner and then we returned to his place and watched a movie.”

  Aaron’s eyes narrowed. “Uh huh, that all sounds nice, but I heard nothing to be so glowing about. So what else happened?”

  Dani rolled her eyes. “All right, we kissed.”

  “Uh huh, now that’s what I’m talking about. When are you seeing him again?”

  “Tonight. He needed to work this morning, but he’s cooking me dinner at six,” Dani said.

  “Sounds like you like this guy,” Aaron said.

  “I do, except…” Dani paused.

  “Except what?”

  “Except he’s pretty religious, and I’m not sure I want to do that again, you know?”

  “DP, I know you had a bad experience, but not every Christian is like your ex,” Aaron said.